Rukhmar

Rukhmar

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Burning sky is extinguished as black wings fold gently about the heavens.

Rest, my children, rest. For even the sun must sleep." - Rukhmar's lullaby

Rukhmar is the traditional god of the Arakkoa, the veneration of which was abandoned some time ago by some in favor of the worship of the mysterious master of the Sethekk cult. Rukhmar is associated with the great Arakkoa hero Terokk, and were rumored to be one and the same. However, this was proven to be false.[1]

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Rukhmar was strong, youthful, and ambitious. She flew higher, ever higher, for she loved the feel of the sun's warmth upon her feathers. She would climb until she caught fire, but she did not burn. The flames cascaded off of her in long strokes of brilliant red and gold. The sky was her canvas, and her children were the Kaliri.

Another god of the Spires of Arak, Sethe, coveted the favor of the wind and the warmth of the sun that Anzu and Rukhmar had. Sethe convinced Anzu to help him slay Rukhmar, but Anzu was cunning and cared little for the wind serpernts. In the dark of the night, he sent one of his dread ravens to warn Rukhmar of Sethe's plot. Anzu watched from the top of a mountain spire as Rukhmar and Sethe clashed. Thanks to Anzu's warning, Rukhmar avoided Sethe. She flew high, put the sun at her back, and dove at Sethe. With a flap of her wings, she split the sky upon Sethe like the crack of a whip. Sethe crashed into the spire where they fought with such force that it crumbled and fell around him, creating the Broken Spire.

Anzu stepped into the battle then, pinning Sethe under his foot. Looking up at the raven god, Sethe uttered a dying curse: that his blood shall blacken the sea until it runs thick as tar, and his flesh shall fester and soil until the very sky rots with it. Anzu responded that they shall then leave no blood nor flesh and devoured Sethe whole, picking the bones clean. But a small trickle of blood escaped and blighted the valley below, creating the Sethekk Hollow.

Anzu felt Sethe's hatred coursing through him. His body contorted, his wings shriveled, and he became cursed without flight. His mind was wracked with painful visions. Anzu had contained Sethe's curse by taking it upon himself, and he would grapple with the curse for some time before retreating into a world of shadows, for he could no longer fly.

Rukhmar was absolutely horrified of the curse, and fled the Spires of Arak. She flew far away, to new lands, and created a new people to command the skies--a people who would combine her power and grace with the guile and thirst for knowledge of Anzu. She named these people the arakkoa, in hopes that one day they would return to Arak and bask in the wind and sun as she once had.

The arakkoa eventually were split into two races; the High Arakkoa and the Arakkoa Outcasts. Rukhmar continued to favour the High Arakkoa, but shunned the Outcast. The High Arakkoa began a war of genocide in her name against the Outcasts while she soared above, but this only prompted the Outcasts to sink into corruption and darkness.

On Draenor-Prime the rampage of the Orcish Horde led to devastating losses for both factions and the Spires of Arak, the High Arakkoa, and Rukhmar were destroyed when the planet was torn apart by Ner'zhul's reckless portal magic. On the alternate Draenor the war between the High Arakkoa and the Arakkoa Outcasts is still ongoing with the Iron Horde, seemingly, largely uninvolved for the time being. But on this Draenor the Arakkoa will receive aid from Adventurers from Azeroth-Prime who will save their race from corruption and annihilation, though it seems Rukhmar may not be so lucky.